Kennedys to rally at Democrats National Conference - amid scandals, spats and gossip

Joseph P. Kennedy III, the son of former Rep. Joseph P. Kennedy II and a grandson of the late Robert F. Kennedy.
Photo by: AP Photo/Elise Amendola

Joseph P. Kennedy III, the grandson of Robert F. Kennedy and current Massachusetts congressional hopeful, and Vicki Kennedy, the wife of late senator Edward 'Ted' Kennedy, are both set to address the Democratic National Convention.

Kennedy III is running for the seat held by retiring Congressman Barney Frank and this will be his debut on the national stage, where he is scheduled to introduce a video tribute to his great uncle, the late Senator Ted Kennedy.

The appearance of Kennedy III is expected to remind the nation of why the family is famous in the first place, diverting attention from singer Taylor Swift’s romance with Conor Kennedy and the suicide of Mary Kennedy, RFK Jr’s estranged wife.

According to the Daily Mail, the Kennedys' appearances at the convention will be the first since Ted Kennedy's death in 2009. At the DNC in Denver in 2008 he made a barnstorming speech while battling a fatal brain tumor.

Former U.S. senator Paul Kirk, a longtime Kennedy family friend, told the Boston Herald that the convention gives Democrats a chance to pay tribute to the family's long and significant history..

'I would say, I'm going to predict that this may be the only convention for a while without an elected Kennedy,' Kirk concluded, referring to Kennedy III’s congressional race.